Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-12-01

be found. No one had seen him since
be left the buggy at the roadside
There was no excitement until next day,
aud thon, when a search failed to turn
up the missing man or furnish clue as
to his fate. Miller, who was In bed, was
placed uader arrest, charged with
his murder. When got down
there from Boston the case
against him had been worked
up until no one doubted his guilt, and
there were threats oflynching. My first
move somewhat staggered them, how
ever. l proceeded TO show that Miller
had arrived at the horse owners alone,
aud that he had not passed that point.
l then found two negro wood choppers
and white man who had seen the two
men together in the buggy only half a
mile from where Sweet got out. II
murder there was, it had taken place in
that half-mile ride, and the body must
be concealed near the roadside. Asearch
had been made of the whole distance,
but l now proceeded to closer investi-
CATION. Miller was slim, light built
man, weighing 1913 pounds, Sweet was a
large, f1eshy man, weighing 1855 pounds.
1t was, therefore, impossible that Miller
could drag the body any distance.
We went over the ground foot by
foot, taking in breadth Of mile each
side of the highway and examining
every barn, strawstack, thicket, fence
corner and depression. Not the slight
est trace of the body could be found.
This raised doubt of Miller's guilt, but
more than that was needed to clear him.
1t was strange, everybody said, why
Sweet had not gone to the house to see
the owner of the mules; why he had not
been seen on the road or in the fields;
Why if alive, he had not shown up
since. 1t was evident that there had
bee foul play. Miller was the last per-
son in his company. His disordered
clothing, the blood spots, his pallor and
mental anxiety. Why when l went
all over it in my OWE mind
1t almost seemed to me
as if he was guilty. l say almost,
for | could not quite believe it of him.
While the prosecution could not produce
the body as proof of the murder, they
had plenty of circumstantial evidence,
and Miller was held to the higher court,
with everybody believing in his guilt
The affair had as curious turn just be
fore his trial as a novelist could imagine.
l was in small town fifty miles from
Clarksville, and had stepped into a
grocery kept by an old woman, to get a
plug of tobacco, when her son, noun
taineer, came in from his place, thir-
teen miles away. The two exchanged
salutations in my presence, and the
mother asked:
''Has the stranger gone yet9"
''No," replied the son.
"And do you think he is daft9"
"Pears that way"
''How is his hurt2'
"Better, guess"
Then their conversation turned into
other channels, and / went out. In ten
minutes / went back again. An in
fuence which I cannot explain any more
than could resist sent me back to ask:
'You were talking about stranger.
Have you some unknown man at your
house2"
eyes, sir. He came six or eight
weeks ago. I think he has been hurt
and has lost his mind. I have told him
he must 90, but he cries and begs to
stay, and he has paid us very we'll for
his keep"
He described Sweet to a dot, and
three hours later I had identified the
N, a ', x.,ho xraa o,,pnoead 20 box,o hoo,
murdered by Miller. In three days /
had him at Clarksville. That knocked
the murder theory in the head, of
course, but the prosecution then de-
clared Miller had assaulted him with in-
tent to kill and rob. A medical exami-
nation showed that Sweet had been
struck on the head and his brain in
jured. / took him to Nashville, put
him in the care of surgeon, and in four
weeks he had his mind back. The very
first words he uttered on coming to
were:
Sand you can stop for me as you
come back"
-Four months time had gone out of his
mind, and he began just where he had
IL IL OIL dS ue got ouI OF the buggy. In
climbing the roadside fence he fell and
struck his head against the log He re-
membered falling, but nothing further.
A pressure of the skull upon his brain
had produced an hallucination. He inn
agined that he was hunted by robbers,
and had made his way through forest
and swamp to the cabin where I found
him. His weight had run down to 1875
pounds, hair and whiskers had grown
long, and only some lucky accident
could have identified him. OF the
So, 900 he had with him when he drove
out of Clarksville every dollar was &C.
counted for, and he was eventually re-
stored to health and strength
This has been my personal experience
with circumstantial evidence, and yet
dare declare my belief that it is the
best evidence in the world to convict
the guilty on. It may have worked
injustice in rare instances, but it has
hung dozens Of guilty wretches who
would otherwise have escaped. -Mew
York Sun.
3